Why we all need to reconsider leather soles 

Leather soles are better looking and are more comfortable for sure. But if you live in an area where you get snow, ice, rain you gotta have the rubber soles. Especially when you start walking on ice melt/salt and it soaks into the leather sole and can soak into the leather upper.

Agreed. Going from rubber soles to leather soles on dress shoes convinced me. I do prefer a grippy rubber sole on boots for many situations, although a nice leather sole on a sunny day is always welcome!

Loved this for the excellent insights and points.

This video brings great quality information. Really good stuff man!

Man, having a good cobbler so close by is like finding a good barber - you'll never need to find another one. Too bad there are none where I live at the moment.

Reasons to Go Leather: 04:31 - flexibility 6:12 - dryer feet 07:31 - more comfortable 13:36 - water resistance 14:46 - durability

I live in a city and have walked around in extremely wet streets in the rain wearing Meermin loafers with leather soles, and noticed basically no slipping at all on wet sidewalks. The transition indoors can suck- leather soles are slippery indoors specifically when wet- but if you wipe your feet when you get indoors you should be fine. These were my first leather soled shoe, but I expected to hate the soles and they were quite slippery during break in, but when someone says they're slipping around in leather soles in the city I honestly think they're not wearing their shoes enough to get any traction cut into the soles.

Great video man!!!

Western boots are mostly made with leather outsoles. There is one reason why I will always have a pair of traditionally built cowboy boots because of all the leather used in making them. Lemon wood pegs are used because they swell with the leather outsole along the waist/shank area when wet where brass tacs would have a tendency to fall out. Some brands use only lemon wood pegs but most brands use both lemon wood pegs and brass tacs.

A courageous video to make! I've come to the same conclusion after years of wearing both rubber and leather soles. Unless I know I'm going to be treading in mud and snow, I'll reach for leather soles.

Thursday has leather soles with the rubber daynite dots on them for added traction on my Chelsea boots. Love the look and feel, best of both worlds

Hey Dale that’s super helpful thank you! I am new to GYW boots this year and have been watching a lot of videos to educate myself. I started with Thursday Captains (Brandy) with the Thursday version of a Dainite sole, then bought a pair of Grant Stone Brass Boots (Natural Waxed Commander) with the Commando sole for winter use. I am already planning my 3rd pair (I caught the boot bug) and would love to try leather soles. I was concerned about them being slippy and wearing out quickly so this really helped me to decide to GO FOR IT! Thanks for the content! Well done. PS thinking about Grant Stone Saddle Tan Diesels with leather soles for the great patina.

best articulated on this topic, i found after watching may videos. Subbed. Please could you also speak about dress shoes? how to protect, when rains, poor pavements etc in warmer climates

Yes ,,,,, all true. Excellent presentation

Hey man, love the channel! Gotta strongly disagree on your take on leather soles though. There is a huge difference, and I have a ton of both - lots of dress shoes that I used to wear for work (when I had a more formal dress code), in leather, and boots in both rubber and leather. The leather, no matter how scuffed or "broken in" is miles --- MILES!!-- more slippery on wet surfaces, smooth linoleum floors (hospitals, labs, some offices, etc). The reason I went to mostly rubber for boots is my abundant experience with exactly this. The leather would ALWAYS slip on these surfaces, and the rubber NEVER does. It has nothing to do with your voodoo balance idea, or your attention or focus. I don't want to walk around all day like Kung-Fu cat man, I just want to walk, like normal, and the rubber lets you do that. Having said all that, the advantages you mention with leather soles are real - the comfort and flexibility (although I don't have an issue with those things with my rubber soles - the thick leather midsole is plenty comfy). Thanks for bringing up the topic, it was really interesting!

I agree with your observations about firmness and density. I also do not like soft squishy midsoles because they make my legs ache after wearing for a long time. But some rubber midsoles can be firm and supportive too, like the Air Jordan 1, or Nike Dunks. I think it is more a matter of dress code. In some situations, you can't wear rubber soled sneakers, and in such cases, I would wear leather soled dress shoes. In some situations such as running errands or seeing friends, dress shoes are not needed, in which case I would wear firm rubber soled sneakers. Also, if it is pouring rain, given a choice, I would also go for rubber soled shoes if possible because I don't want to ruin my leather soled shoes.

My Edward Green Piccadilly loafers are leather soles. My Edward green Banbury chukka boots are Dainite. Both are great for their intended purposes (dressy vs casual)

As others have noted this is completely dependent on where you live and what you do. I live in Sweden, where it’s snowy and icy for 6 months of the year. I would still sometimes wear leather soles when I lived in Stockholm in the winter, but it was a game of concentration and focus whenever walking anywhere. Now I live on a gravel road outside of the city, and leather soles would be a joke except for a few months of the year, and only dry days during those months. I have three leather soled pairs of boots and they just don’t get worn anymore. So while your experience is totally valid for your life, it’s not necessarily applicable to other people. It could be helpful it you talked more about the conditions that you wear your boots in.

Hi Dale,I’ve always preferred leather soles to rubber on any boot depending upon its use! If I’m wearing casual boots I definitely find my leather soles the most comfortable and best looking. I’m glad to see you’ve changed your mind. I’m in the process of getting a few pairs of boots re soled to JR currently and I’m sad to see them go. In 30 years I think leather in general will be a hot commodity. Thank you for everything you do. You truly are a gentleman. I’m surprised you don’t have 500000 subscribers. Cmon people. Subscribe!!!!

Bin wearing hi quality cow boy boots for years for everything on my ranch and can agree nothing beats a leather sole on anything except ice lol

My Tony llamas have a leather sole, and I love them for the average nice day, but my work boots have to be rubber. Leather just doesn't grip on roofs, and I can't imagine kicking a shovel in mud or something with leather soles. So I guess I'm saying, yes, they are much more comfortable, but for me they are specifically for my more casual/dress options. I'll probably switch my redwing classic Chelsea in Hawthorne muleskinner to leather when they are due for a resole, but unfortunately that might still be a while, so I might want to try and stock up on a few JR soles for the future, if there's really no one with the same quality. 🙄 Man it's frustrating to hear that JR went under. Cobler Plus (I think is the channel) did a video about it, and I hadn't really looked that deep into leather soles to realize what this meant at the time.

awesome video

I have around 14 or so GYW boots and shoes. Two are leather soled: AE dress shoes and a pair of GS PTB. The GS PTBs look amazing and are superbly built, but I hate them because of the leather soles. I feel like I’m going to slip on nearly all surfaces I walk on. I walk with care in those. More annoyingly, the soles seem to pick up every little piece of gravel and debris which stick to the shoe. Then when I get to a side walk or other hard surface everyone gets to hear the awful sound of gravel chunks grinding underneath my weight (imagine the sound of wearing metal cleats on concrete). I never wear them anymore because of this. But I’m totally turned off from leather soles now. To each their own though.

Agree with you from personal experience

I've experienced easy slipping with leather soles on ceramic floors when it's raining. How ever, when I walk on concrete floor or sidewalks while raining, I have not had any slipping with my shoes. Got to be careful when there's wet floor or rainy days, but I find leather soles comfortable.

Michael Jackson would never have moon walked with rubber soles. FACT!

I always felt sleeping more comfortable on thin layer of sheet on the floor similarly public bus seats which have very thin form felt more comfortable I am also cyclist and I understand.

Very very interesting. I thought you liked the toe piece. That's exactly what I did with almost all of my Goodyear welted leather shoes. I never had that triumph metal piece before. Damn. Now I wanna try it. But is the sole protector not better in terms of protecting the stitches?

I got leather soled cowboy boots(I don’t like tying boots in the morning) and my feet are so much dryer, dry enough that I don’t need to change socks going for a run. I use a standing desk and it’s great. Except the metal shavings when I’m on the floor to check things. The only rubber whole soles that I like are military boot soles. The cheaper ones are a bit brutal after a week of standing for 8-16 hours a day, but some of the nicer ones like Garmont are almost as good as leather.

Rubber soles are absolutely more grippy and definitely do last longer. (Depending on the outsole of course) leather soles are slippery and, although they might look dressier when new, they become incredibly nasty looking very quickly. They also don’t last as long as rubber soles and are far more sensitive and weather dependent. As for moisture wicking, a leather midsole and insole will do the job. I personally keep my leather soles for summer and only wear them for when I’m inside and not doing a lot of walking.

Good points, and i've spent twelve hours on a brooks b17 saddle without any discomfort. I have a few pairs of loake shoes and boots that were on sale with leather soles and realistically I'm of an age that most of the time I'll be indoors so they're kinder on carpets and better for dancing in if you're on a night out. I think they're a way more of a sturdy shoe or boot when goodyear welted and as the knee is'nt meant to twist I think that a more stable platform would help older people with balance issues and possibly prevent knee issues as my problems started when wearing Dr Martens boots in work.

I preffer leather soles but I simply cannot imagine going without sole protection for two reasons , one being that without them every step costs money as pavement sands away my precious leather and two like you said it prevents a lot of flex which actually helps the top lift to retrain its shape by pulling every thing back into place and helps to combat wrinkles and creasing .I can go a night or two without shoe trees no problem ..

I have a question. I have 9 pairs of Goodyear welted leather boots and I don't know which socks I should use. One says synthetic because the sweat will transport to the outside in the shoe and others say cotton. I let all my shoes dry at least 24 hours but mostly 48 hours so I have a rotation. Which material of socks do you use?. Great videos by the way and greetings from Germany 👌

I have come to the realisation that your realisation is a result of not having worked a single day in your boots. I'm just happy you can afford to do that. Mind, most of your observations are valid . No arguments there.

Good topic and I agree that good leather soles can last as long or longer than rubber, and I have some dress shoes that I have worn frequently that still have years of wear left in them. They can also be quite comfortable. I do not have any leather sole boots, yet, but you have me thinking (and a good excuse to get another pair of boots)! Question for you on those metal tips. For some reason I thought they were primarily decorative. I assume they would protect just the part that is covered. Is there more to having them than that? I don’t recall ever wearing out the front of a leather sole, for me it usually is the heel that is first to go.

Can you suggest good brands for leather soled moccasins?

Looking at my collection I realized all my boots/shoes are leather soled. Something special about how they feel on the ground.

Now I want leather soles ,the fun part about having many boots and shoes is that there is a time and a place for all types including leather soles , quick question what is the toe caps purpose other that looking awesome 😎?

I love leather soles, but it depends on where you live. We have none stop rain for 8 month of the year. Rubber is the way to go. If I live in California, then leather is the go to choice. I'm curious to see how leather sole hold up in 1 inch of rain 8 hours a day, last time I tried my feet got drenched, and leather sole boots became summer shoes lmao

Some good points. However I don’t see how they can wick sweat away from your foot but on the other hand not absorb rain water from the outside. I’m based in uk and we have so much rain here, I think rubber souls are needed when it’s persistent day after day and the shoes don’t have chance to dry.

Leather soles are very comfortable and elegant. There are a times when it’s the best elegant choice for a formal event. However leather soles are not the most practical for weather or when a sudden dynamic movement is required. We’ve all experienced or seen how crazy someone looks when trying to regain footing during a slip while the groin muscles are telling you, “I can try to save us from taking the fall but no guarantees and win or fail, I’m gonna need a day or two for recovery.” With leather soles you have to have more deliberate and take slower steps on grass, concrete, wood, steel, marble, linoleum, ceramic, and carpeted surfaces. All the James Bond movies have successfully fooled the well dressed in believing that if they had to, they could do more than look good and walking at normal pace in leather soles.

Can you please give me link to buy those alden suede boots ? The one you replaced the sole to JR?

Seen some 1000 Mile’s at a great price, just couldn’t do it though (leather soles). This video may change my mind!!

What is a good forum to follow on boots ? Been looking for awhile.

I have just bought a brand new shoe in a thrift shop with a handcrafted leather sole. Do I need to treat the sole with anything before I start wearing it? Thanks!

What about Wolverines 1000 mile thin leather sole. What do you think of them?

Awesome thorough video. Thank you for sharing your wisdom on leather sole shoes. I know its a long journey,and as a professional stylist , i hope for the very best for my clients. I would also add the thesis of "grounding"/"earthing" that we have a connection our bodies to mother earth, and its healing properties, better health, fighting inflammation etc. Use the proper tool for the job, rubber soles have a function, for the gym, certain specific work places, etc. Keep in mind though,Rubber soles obstruct our bodies from the healing energy of the ground.

My counter is yeah if you are either on country dirt roads and go straight to marble floors or tile , you’ll get longevity . But my world is full of asphalt and cement both of which is like walking on sandpaper . Every step in a leather sole shoe for me costs money . I agree with you assessment about covering a sole with rubber however , them springing a sole back to its proper position with the aid of shoe trees helps preserve the uppers from severe creasing. Now bust that

Love the channel - at 7.51, which shoes are those you are wearing? Tan grant stones? Love the look of them!

I prefer leather soles and always have since I have started wearing boots. I think people vastly overestimate how active they are me what terrain they walk on. Going downhill on some wet grass might be a bit sketchy but if you can’t walk on wet concrete with leather soles you might have some other problems. Snow and mud are obviously an issue but on sunny days west some leather boots.

I think it's a bit contradictory to say that leather soles are both moisture wicking and breathable but also they are very water resistant. Or that they expand when they get wet and somehow become MORE water resistant. It doesn't add up. It sounds exactly like what you would expect someone selling their leather soles to you would say 😅 I like the toe taps in that they mitigate one of the drawbacks of leather soles (they wear so quickly), except that they have to cut through the stitching to install them. I understand that toppers aren't *quite* as flexible as bare leather soles, but I still think they are far superior in durability and traction. If money was not a factor (although it always is), I would probably be in the leather sole advocates club, too. But the fact is that they do wear down very quickly (I would guess 2x or more as fast), hence the need for the toe taps, which will result in more costly resoles. You can go into thrift shops and find lots of leather-soled shoes that are worn out, and many RU-vid videos. Those extra resoles will wear out your welts quicker (as they get sanded down, etc.). Apart from the extra cost, re-welting could wear out your uppers faster (where they are re-attached). Every time I wear bare leather soles I feel like I'm steadily chipping away at my costly footware, and like I have to baby them, and that I have to be mindful of water and slick floors. It's just not worth it 90% of the time. I have no worries whatsoever when wearing rubber.

A point made by the chap who owns Baker tannery ... he was quite willing to admit that JR soles were harder, but he felt his slightly softer Baker soles were better in some respects as the face of his soles roughed up slightly and gave better traction.

I think I'm finally a leather sole convert! I wanted to ask - is there anything in particular that can/should be done to condition them over time? I notice on my very first outing in a pair, the outsole is studded with little pebbles and pulling them out leaves some pretty deep pits which is a bit concerning.

I live in Wisconsin and have to switch to my rubber soles every November. It’s a bummer.

Hi! Love the video, what's the black shoe in the middle tho of the cover pic? Thanks

well the mid sole should always be leather. thing is you can just glue on split sole to a leather soled shoe if you want. i heard someone say that boots shouldn't come with rubber soles installed, and i think in many cases an option would be nice, because the example you gave would also mean the normal rubber sole shoes would have the same problem. the option would be very nice.

Hi Dale, are you in Baltimore, Md? Please reply. Dave...

The major problem with leather soles today as a posed to yester year leather soles were mad from what was called green hide it was vegetable tanned it was soaked in water and hammered out to compacted which gave it it more durability unlike today's leather soles are just very spongy and go like soggy cardboard. I have always worn leather soled shoes with a topy over the top and have shoes that are 26yrs old and one pair of hand made boots for 35yrs

As guys get over 35 they start appreciating leather sole. But as you cross 55 you appreciate rubber soles. Full circle.

Agree 100%

Can you wear leather soled shoes and ride a bicycle?? Does the sole suffer or degrades faster? What kind of pedal would you recommend for a daily use bicycle to someone wearing leather soles?

Are you wearing an Omega Seamaster Professional? Also, what do they call that style of bracelet?

I love the idea of leather soles but I don't think they are ideal. Especially if taking public transit or at restaurants with really slick floors.

@aerosurferlv ever thought of getting rid of the heel drop? Go to a more minimalist shoe design?

Is there any replacement in sight for Rendenbach who went out of business?

High quality leather soles are not delicate, when I first started weather leather boots/shoes I would hear that leather soles are too delicate. Leather sole will survive rain OK. Rubber soles are likely more durable. Leather soles are more comfortable, and have the advantages that Dale explained in the video. My Grant Stone Diesel with leather soles are my most comfortable boots.

Definitely agree with your thoughts on leather soles. Coming from the western boot world I’ve known leather soles rule for many many years. I do live in the great north so I have a few rubber soled pairs for snow and ice. But leather soles are the greatest thing out there.

I cant belive JR going under. They are flagship of leather soles

Leather sole shines in areas such as office or indoor(slick& elegant), summer(breathability), long standing(firmness & support), in general dry & not lot of walking(delicate & less durable on rough surface) occasions. Rubber sole serves better in areas such as wet(water proof & grip), winter(less breathability & warmer), lots of walking(durable & bounciness) occasions. Glue toe taps or commando soles is trying to have merits of both leather & rubber soles by inevitably compromising both. Some US presidents wear these to, I guess, avoid wear plain rubber sole dress shoes.

Will give leather soles a try…..only because you said so……

Tip: to people who want rubber soles but still want a classic sole. DR. Sole 😉

I don't want to dispute some of your opinions here as I don't necessarily disagree but leather is not denser than rubber. Typically rubber outsole density (not talking about blown compounds here) is 1.10-1.3 g/mL. Dry leather is less than 1.0. Again, not saying it's not more comfortable or supportive in some ways but it's not because of the density of the material

You've never worn out a pair of boots/shoes with leather soles? I like both rubber and leather soles. Leather wears out much quicker for me than Dainite, Vibram, or nitrile cork. I used to do a lot of walking for work. I've never noticed a difference in comfort between rubber and leather. I have noticed a difference in durability. Abrasion/wear resistance is reduced when leather gets wet. You also say leather soles allow for moisture to dissipate through the bottom of the sole. How can this be true if they are as water resistant as you say? It's one or the other not both unless moisture can only flow one way in leather soles. I enjoy you videos, but I think some of your claims in this one are incorrect.

If you put metal toe and heel caps, you could also put on some hobnails for more traction... although your friends with wood floors won't be too happy. Hahaha.

The Vibram 269 sole is the best of both world's. Its rubber but super thin, grippy and flexible.

Leather soles are slippery for me. So that is a huge no no.

Um I’ve actually have been developing a liking to leather soles

You give me something to think about. If I lived in an area with no rain or snow, I might agree with you. But the times I wear boots, I am looking for durability and grip in wet or snowy conditions. Honestly, in bad weather the boots I reach for are those with Vibram commando lugs. Best soles for inclement weather, period. Or for hiking on dirt, or over rocks, or tree roots. You might go hiking with leather soles in these conditions, I never would. I have been putting Topys on all my leather soles for years, and in other cases, I have gone with Vibram or Dainite. I have not noticed much of a difference in comfort. The Topys are thin and fairly flexible. But the increase in durability has saved me a lot of money in resoles. And, I don't need to put my leather soled shoes away or take them off when it is raining or snowing. Respectfully, I think you overstate the breathability of leather soles. But conceding point for a second, if water can pass through from the foot bed all the way to the outsole, wouldn't water also be able to travel the other direction? Anyway, if a leather sole is waterproof, then by definition, it does not breath as well. Wear is an issue with more commonly available leather soles, and unfortunately, JR is soon to be gone forever, so maybe best not even talk about how great JR soles are as if you don't have them now, chances are you never will. Finally, as a person with a huge shoe and boot collection, excessive wear and resoles are something you don't much need to worry about. But the person with only one, or maybe two pair of boots does.

The fact that you have a picture of Wyatt…… so creepy.

Summer leather …Winter Dainite / Victory sole especially on Boots just my personal opinion sorry but they do last longer much longer

Someone is going to buy JR, they supply too many companies to not be a viable purchase. Also you're getting confused with leather footbed/insoles and leather outsoles. Leather footbed/insoles are great, but you can get rubber outsoles that are better quality than RM Williams rubber soles and of course you can properly welt them. Rubber is better for outdoors in terms of longevity than leather

I'm in Chicago and I personally feel dainite is more slippery than leather soles. Dainite has absolute zero traction on ice and indoors on smooth tile, every rubber sole to be honest. Dainite is definitely more solid than leather soles which is why I prefer wearing dainite because the ice is sharp and can cut into the sole, because of this dainite is my favorite rubber sole, the others are too soft for ice in opinion. However leather soles are my favorite and I wear them all winter long.

I like leather soles on dress shoes and wore them for decades. However, I prefer rubber soles on boots (mostly) as they are footwear that I'll be wearing on rougher ground and in worse weather. Even going around the park on loose stone paths is not good for leather soles and chews them up and grass where I live is invariably wet and slippery (200 days of rain per year) let alone rough ground. I also disagree that leather soles are better at handling foot moisture. The sole itself may be better but the glue that is used to fix the sole plus the binding chemicals used in cork means that very little moisture is ever going to reach the leather sole. Finally, JR soles are not used by the best footwear manufacturers. Lobb, Gaziano and Girling and Edward Green are supposed to use JF Baker oak bark soles which many shoe enthusiasts regard as superior to JR (though less widely available).

I'm glad my tax dollars are contributing to build your fine boot collection!!

Leather soles are good for grounding.

I had leather soles that I thought were roughed up. I ended up on my back, looking up at the sky, in the middle of downtown Dallas. NEVER AGAIN! If some boot purist wants to keep wearing leather for the aesthetic, more power to ‘em. I’ll spend my money on dainite, lug soles or something that makes more sense.

Kinda weird u have a pic of Wyatt Gilmore framed and in every video !!

Rubber soles when not worn regularly expire. They become brittle.

It's a damn shame that Grant Stone transitioned away from leather soles on their boots.

Huh? Who says that nonsense you just need to start wearing western boots with leather soles.. leather molds to your foot 🦶.. but these boots are like low end mid tier boots .. everyday boots leather soles and boots are perfect

don't want to see shell cordovan with rubber sole? PNW boots fan: I want shell cordovan with V100 lug

I don't hate leather soles, but I still think it is their lack of practicality that makes people avoid them. I just brought in my last pair of boots on leather soles for a resole to Vibram Gumlite. Living in an area where I switch between surfaces all the time during a day, a rubber sole is generally more adaptable to all of those different situations. For example, If I need to change boots because I want to go walk my dog on the moorland or forest, that is an inconvenience that leads me to not wear a boot. Another example is simply going to my local grocery store (with smooth tiles) on a rainy day. Any sole that makes going to the grocery store a risky proposition is perhaps not the most practical. Another reason is "feel". Leather soles are flexible and feel good in most aspects, but when walking on hard surfaces I just don't enjoy the sensation of the sole hitting the ground. It is a small thing, but significant enough to eventually lead me to wear my leather soled boots the least. The moisture wicking properties are interesting and something I had never considered. But they are not worth the inconvenience for me. If I lived in other circumstances, like a city environment and with better weather throughout the year, then I would like them a lot more. But for my own preference and circumstances, I think there is good reason to avoid leather soles. I would even go as far as to say that they are just not fit for purpose.

i respectfully disagree ,,,,you have to re-learn how to walk or walk very slowly and pivot with leather soles especially out in the open with different elements { wet and icy conditions and stepping on steel} ,, you dont experience those issues with dainite rubber soles { based on my experience} ,,, i understand leather soles are consider the true classic coming from enthusiast or collector community but for everyday usability rubber soles are better IMO . { for me leather sole is best use for formal office setting "Indoors" , leisure walk or dressing-up on a date with your significant other } !!!

Leave the city

hipster soles

Rubber is a synthetic material - that is debatable

I don’t think so !!!! Your opinion absolutely wrong man!!!!

Why advertise chinese made boots?

I was always under the impression that shoes like these are made only for special occasions or for people who never have to walk long distances, for those who just step out of their personal cars and into the buildings, because how could you possibly walk on the pavement all day in these or take the buss? it would be like wearing a tuxedo all day every day, not only uncomfortable, but also kind of a waste cause the precious thing would get ruined. So I recently received a pair of good quality oxford shoes with leather soles and I thought I don't have the kind of lifestyle that would allow me to enjoy wearing these, because I walk around the city a lot and only go places by subway, bike or walking. So this video was pretty interesting and made me reconsider what leather soles can do.